One of the joys of living in an old house is the layers of history which turn the simplest tasks into interesting archival explorations. Unfortunately all too often those layers take the form of lead paint. So even though lead can be contained we decided to have Lili’s wiindows restored (along with 5 others in the house) and also took the additional step to have her windows made lead safe. The process is described below.
http://www.heritagerestoration.org/Window%20Restoration.htm
We couldn’t be happier with the results. The windows look great and we know that there will be no lead dust from the windows in her bedroom. Old windows can really be one of the joys of an old house, if they work properly. The old float glass in the windows has bumps, ridges, waves and other imperfections that make them interesting and unique. So now we have windows that look brand new and work perfectly while still retaining the charm and character of house. The shiny silver rails you see in the picture are part of what makes the windows lead safe. With them in place there is no surface-to-surface friction of any component containing, or formerly containing lead.
Of course the windows weren’t all that we did to the house in the last 6 months. A simple chimney cleaning turned into a wood stove. A simple porch repair turned an essentially all new porch which looks faboulous. And one of the smartest things we did was to install new storm windows for the entire house, including storms for our giant heat sinks – er, I mean our bay windows. It’s made a huge difference in how warm the house feels. Between the wood stove insert and the new storm windows our living room has finally become a place you can relax in and not freeze your tuckus off. -t
A – 3 Days; L – 8 Days;
